Where are you getting your handle screws/bolts from now?

G

godogs57

Joined
Apr 16, 2004
Messages
781
Nowhere to be found. Nobody's got em. Finally found one ten pair pack at Jantz at Blade Show for $42. Ruined four knives with those Chinese(?) bolts. The second I ground through the screw slots I hit "threads" . Spent all day yesterday milling out the stupid screws hoping to salvage the $$$ handle material. I was successful on 3/4. I've been buying from Pops for 40+ years and they are trying to set up making them, subbing it out to someone. Whomever it is, they can't find the motivation to begin learning the process.

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godogs57 said:
Nowhere to be found. Nobody's got em. Finally found one ten pair pack at Jantz at Blade Show for $42. Ruined four knives with those Chinese(?) bolts. The second I ground through the screw slots I hit "threads" . Spent all day yesterday milling out the stupid screws hoping to salvage the $$$ handle material. I was successful on 3/4. I've been buying from Pops for 40+ years and they are trying to set up making them, subbing it out to someone. Whomever it is, they can't find the motivation to begin learning the process.

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You can always drill the center with a #30 and put a little bit of a 1/8" mosaic in there with superglue. Then finish er out like normal. Done carefully looks like it was made that way. Did one for cowboy bout 15 years ago now. He's been rough and tough on it as one would expect and no problems. I did it for the very same reason%$#@&^**(#$ reason. Anyhoo save ya some time and handle material
 
navman said:
Regardless, I would also contact Pop's and let them know about the issue.

William Schrade William Schrade ...that looks cool. I may do it on purpose on a few handles.
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Jantz (Blade Show) sold me the junk screws. Many of my knifemaking buddies are letting Pops know of their frustrations . Before he passed, Pop was making them for his business, which I’m told continued awhile after he sold it. Now that our friend is gone they can’t find anyone that wants to pick up the torch.

USA Knifemakers had some. Thanks for the lead…
 
Makers Material Supply has them and they don’t have the issue that you experienced. I recently ordered 50 of a few different sizes and metals and they’ve all worked out as planned.
Jeff
 
There may be nothing is wrong with the Corby Bolts.
One should always measure the depth of the hole and mark it on the side of the female Corby. This depth MUST be inside the handle material sufficiently to avoid grinding into the void. I usually measure a few random bolts from a new batch and put a groove around one to use as a depth guide

I see the cheaper ones made overseas coming in a "one size" length. I used to get them from Pop's and others with different length shafts and heads. This made it easy to use them on thick or thin handles. I just picked the bolts that were the right size.

If your bolts are too long to work in the handle, shorten the shanks a bit to make the void go in the handle completely.

Now, if the female hole is drilled way deeper than the male stud, that is poor manufacturing. I generally find the F hole only a little deeper than the M stud.
 
If the hole is tapped too deep, that is something wrong with the Corby. The tapped hole should not go into the fat part of the Corby.
 
J. Hoffman said:
If the hole is tapped too deep, that is something wrong with the Corby. The tapped hole should not go into the fat part of the Corby.
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That was the issue Jess. The tapped hole was right below the screwdriver slot. Once you ground off the slot, you had zero room for further grinding. Very poorly designed by some maker that had no idea how things work with Corby bolts. That’s why I figured it was probably Chinese mfg.
 
If that is the case, then I absolutely agree that the bolts were made wrong. The hole should just barely enter the wider part of the head.

Drill the holes clean with a three flute bit or end mill and put colored epoxy in the holes is all you can do with these blades. Returning any unused Corbys to the manufacturer with a detailed description of the error in manufacture may also help future customers get an improved version.
 
godogs57 said:
That was the issue Jess. The tapped hole was right below the screwdriver slot. Once you ground off the slot, you had zero room for further grinding. Very poorly designed by some maker that had no idea how things work with Corby bolts. That’s why I figured it was probably Chinese mfg.
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Agree, I was referring to the poster that said there may not be an issue with the bolts. I'm not sure where they were manufactured (there are good and bad manufacturers all over the world), but that is a manufacturing issue, not user error.
 
Been buying the same ones from China for several years. They are not conventional Corbies with a male and female. They come as two male heads and a threaded tube. Tubes come in a couple of lengths. Absolutely no chance of grinding into a void. 300 series stainless and very well made.
 
Del Raso,
I have been looking for those for years. I got some from an estate that I bought the knifemaking suppliers from. I have looked everywhere for them.
Since it seems to be a very hard to find product, can you give us the name of the seller?

You grind the male shanks down to be as short as needed, and grind the female tube to the thickness of the tang plus a tad less than the depth of the shank holes past the counterbore hole shoulders.
Thanks
 
Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith said:
Del Raso,
I have been looking for those for years. I got some from an estate that I bought the knifemaking suppliers from. I have looked everywhere for them.
Since it seems to be a very hard to find product, can you give us the name of the seller?

You grind the male shanks down to be as short as needed, and grind the female tube to the thickness of the tang plus a tad less than the depth of the shank holes past the counterbore hole shoulders.
Thanks
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I put in a call to a retired Knifemaker buddy of mine in SC (prior to ordering from USA Knifemakers) and he’s sending me six pair of those! Those will be a first for me…thanks for your post explaining the trick to making them work…
 
Sorry to leave you hanging Stacy. Last lot I got from a mob called “ELinkMe” through Aliexspress. 50 of them for around $80 Australian including shipping, Should be around $60 US. They also stock the appropriate step drills.
 
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